It's not as crazy as it sounds. And it's much easier than you think. We created a delicious and beautiful baked ham that is stuffed with layer upon layer of sweet potato slices. The trick is to use a spiral-cut ham. All those slices are the perfect place to insert a bit of flavor and color into your ham. Simply start at one slice, use your fingers to gently peel apart the layers, then insert thin slices of sweet potato.

And if sweet potatoes aren't your thing, the same approach would work with butternut squash or Yukon Gold potatoes. Just be certain to slice the vegetables as thinly as possible. A mandoline is your best bet.

Alison Ladman is a staff writer for the Associated Press.

Glazed Sweet Potato-Stuffed Ham

Start to finish: 3 hours (20 minutes active)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled

7- to 9-pound spiral-cut ham

10-ounce jar apricot preserves

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a mandoline, slice the sweet potatoes very thinly. Place the ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan.

Carefully separating the layers of the ham, insert slices of sweet potato into each layer. Repeat this until every layer of the ham has been filled.

In a small bowl, stir together the apricot preserves and the black pepper, then spread the mixture all over the surface of the ham. Bake for 2 to 3 hours, or until the ham is heated to 160 degrees at the center and the potatoes are tender. Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

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